If not the most grand, then this spiral galaxy is at least one of the most photogenic. An island universe of about 100 billion stars, 32 million light-years away toward the constellation Pisces, M74 presents a gorgeous face-on view. Classified as an Sc galaxy, the grand design of M74's graceful spiral arms are traced by bright blue star clusters and dark cosmic dust lanes. Constructed from archival images, this sharp composite is from the Hubble Space Telescope. Spanning about 30,000 light-years across the face of M74, it includes exposures recording emission from hydrogen atoms, highlighting the reddish glow of the galaxy's large star-forming regions. APOD's main NASA site is moving: From apod.nasa.gov to science.nasa.gov/apod
The content on this page is provided via the NASA APOD API. The APOD initiative delivers curated astronomical images and explanations on a daily basis. Many thanks to NASA and the scientists involved. Image rights are held by the respective copyright holder (see image description).